Hometown influences guide new releases

Butcher Brown Encore, Concord Jazz Richmond collective Butcher Brown made its major label debut last year on Concord with the release of #KINGBUTCH, an expansive full-length album that showcased the group’s unique fusion of jazz, hip-hop, and soul. Now, the quintet of DJ Harrison, drummer Corey Fonville, bassist Andrew Randazzo, trumpeter/saxophonist/MC Marcus “Tennishu” Tenney, and […]

PICK: The Quebe Sisters

Swing out sisters: Straight from low-lit honky-tonks and dusty dance halls, The Quebe Sisters saunter in with their progressive take on the traditions of Western swing and songs from yesteryear. Archtop guitar, upright bass, and fiddles add to Grace, Sophia, and Hulda’s captivating three-part harmonies. The Sisters combine jazz, country, and Texas-style fiddling to sweep […]

PICK: Back to Barboursville

Sweetheart of Barboursville: You’ve probably seen Terri Allard gracing one of our local stages or on the tube as host of Virginia Public Media’s “Charlottesville Inside-Out,” but did you know she’s from Barboursville? Which is why she’s right at home at Back to Barboursville, Four County Players’ first mainstage show since the start of the […]

PICK: AbbeyRoad

Come together: All you need is love—and the ultimate Beatles party band AbbeyRoad. For years, AbbeyRoad has been channeling the four lads from Liverpool with a wide-ranging repertoire that spans Beatles covers and deep cuts with an attention to detail that includes using vintage replica instruments. The performance benefits the Reclaimed Hope Initiative. Friday 7/9, […]

Collard greens for the soul

Vast culinary traditions influence Southern food—European, Native American, African, Caribbean. But if you’re thinking individually about those traditions when you’re thinking about Southern food, you’re kind of doing it wrong, according to food historian Leni Sorensen. Those traditions hit American soil in the 1600s and immediately began to mingle, even as they traveled south, she […]

PICK: Kendall Street Company

Out of this world: Kendall Street Company turns up the heat with a midsummer concert celebrating its newly released “pop-ambient space opera,” The Year the Earth Stood Still: Ninurta. The group’s blend of generous garage band energy and Americana soul meanders through waves of esoteric ambiance, then quickly turns into mind-melting psychedelia backed by a […]

PICK: Historic Tree Walk

See the trees: Monticello may get all the hype, but James Monroe’s Highland is a hidden gem nestled in the rolling hills just outside of town. Get familiar with the lore of the woods in Monroe’s old stomping grounds during a 45-minute Historic Tree Walk. A Highland guide takes you through the fields and forests […]

PICK: Reds, Whites, and Bluegrass

Uncork the celebration: Celebrate the Fourth of July with fine Virginia wines and original mountain Americana provided by the Tara Mills Band at Reds, Whites, and Bluegrass. The group’s blend of folk, bluegrass, and old-time country draws inspiration from the hills and hollows of the Blue Ridge, as well as the rich musical traditions that […]

PICK: Celebrate Us

Mountain high: There may be no better way to reconnect with our friends and neighbors this summer than watching the Celebrate Us fireworks display from Carter Mountain. Take the gorgeous view of the Blue Ridge mountains, add local ciders, craft beers, barbecue, ice cream, and donuts. Top it off with live music, dancing, and a […]

Dairy market, mac ‘n’ cheese

By Will Ham Dinner winners Congrats to the six recipients of Bread & Roses kitchen scholarships. The local nonprofit, an outreach ministry of Trinity Episcopal, has awarded each winner $2,000 to rent space in the church’s commercially licensed kitchen. Eric Agee of Agee’s Catering & Concession has operated a food truck out of Fluvanna for […]